Although also referred to as "Raping a Slave" and "I Crawled", the band officially recognizes it as Young God.

[4] Similar to Cop, the cover art features a notice stating that the record is "designed to be played at maximum volume."

Young God is widely regarded by critics as one of Swans' most brutal releases, similar in sound to the band's first two albums, Filth (1983) and Cop (1984), but slightly more experimental.

The subject matter is exemplified by the title track, which is written from the perspective of serial killer Ed Gein.

[6] Justin Broadrick of Godflesh cited Young God as a key inspiration for his music.